as in stereotyped
used or heard so often as to be dull
the film's clichéd story of an underdog who overcomes insurmountable odds to win
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Recent Examples of clichéd
When Daisy slams the bedroom door in frustration, June can’t help but smile at the cliched rebellion.
—
Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2026
Honking horns and screeching tires used to be a cliched scene-setting device for writers describing Paris.
—Marie Patino, Bloomberg, 20 Mar. 2026
A day to profile that cliched ‘Manchester United DNA’.
—Ian Irving, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2026
The negotiation chatter between Sam and train authorities is tightly intercut with Marsha confronting danger in a cabin in the woods, a rather cliched side story that doesn’t add much.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 14 Jan. 2026
There are only states of being — all stories have become obsolete and cliched, and have resolved themselves.
—John Penner, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
In one rather cliched moment, Springsteen is buying his first new car.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 24 Oct. 2025
Alongside him, the scared but somehow quietly reassuring presence of Ferrera leavens the potential for cliched action-hero theatrics by giving the film a rare but for once very real sense of peril.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 6 Sep. 2025
The confident smile the until then timid Giulio wears on his face as a result is equally cliched.
—Tomris Laffly, Variety, 25 May 2025
Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2026
Honking horns and screeching tires used to be a cliched scene-setting device for writers describing Paris.
—Marie Patino, Bloomberg, 20 Mar. 2026
A day to profile that cliched ‘Manchester United DNA’.
—Ian Irving, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2026
The negotiation chatter between Sam and train authorities is tightly intercut with Marsha confronting danger in a cabin in the woods, a rather cliched side story that doesn’t add much.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 14 Jan. 2026
There are only states of being — all stories have become obsolete and cliched, and have resolved themselves.
—John Penner, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
In one rather cliched moment, Springsteen is buying his first new car.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 24 Oct. 2025
Alongside him, the scared but somehow quietly reassuring presence of Ferrera leavens the potential for cliched action-hero theatrics by giving the film a rare but for once very real sense of peril.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 6 Sep. 2025
The confident smile the until then timid Giulio wears on his face as a result is equally cliched.
—Tomris Laffly, Variety, 25 May 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clichéd
Adjective
-
Kelly Enders-Tharp, a three-time surrogate and education and experience specialist at Growing Generations, explains that surrogates are often stereotyped, or that their backgrounds are misrepresented.—
Kris Ann Valdez,
Parents,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Later, Lenape artist Joe Baker places cutout photographs of his ancestors over the stereotyped images of Native Americans found in the wallpaper.—
Tom McDonough,
Artforum,
1 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Satonica credited Burse with reviving Grady’s professional governance, noticing tired nurses and overwhelmed leaders.—
Laura Berrios,
AJC.com,
7 May 2026
-
Gee, can't imagine why fans were tired of Mark Hamill towards the end!—
Zach Dean OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
Maybe so, but think of how badly Congress had stated those hackneyed ideas.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
While not exactly a feminist screed, the script grants nary a free pass to the glut of hackneyed gender conventions in the golden-age canon without at least cracking a joke.—
Naveen Kumar,
Variety,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Then, like a trite scene from a B-movie, my sister called.—
Kate Clark Stone,
PEOPLE,
1 May 2026
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Somehow the 200-acre eco-theme park avoids being hokey and trite—the biologists and naturalists here take their work seriously.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clichéd.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clich%C3%A9d. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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